Tokyo-based solar project developer, Pacifico Energy has announced the construction plan for Japan’s largest solar power plant with a capacity of up to 257.7MW in Mimasaka-Shi City, Okayama Prefecture. The solar power plant is scheduled to become operational in September 2019.
The “Sakuto Mega Solar Power Station” has broken ground in late April by its owner, Pacifico Energy, and EPC service provider, JGC Corporation. Covering a land of approximately 400 hectares, the solar power plant is planned to be completed within 30 months. 150MWdc from the whole 257.7MWac solar panels will be connected to the grid and all electricity generated will be sold to Chugoku electric Power Company.
The capacity to be interconnected is determined by calculating the real efficiency decay during the solar panels’ lifetime.
Pacifico Energy expected that Sakuto Mega Solar Power Station will generate approximately 290,000,000kWh of solar electricity per year, offsetting around 200 thousand tons of GHG emissions.
More large-scale projects in Japan
Currently, Japan’s largest solar power plant in operation locates in Aomori Prefecture, with a capacity of 148MW (118MW interconnected). The second largest one locates in Hokkaido, with a capacity of 111MW (79MW interconnected). The largest project that has been started construction was a 235MW plant called “Setonai KIREI Mega Solar Power Station” located also in Okayama Prefecture.
There are even larger solar power plants that have already won grid-connection permission while yet started construction: a 600MW project in Tono-Shi City, Iwate Prefecture, a 500MW project in Yokohama-Machi Town, Aomori Prefecture, and a 430MW project on Uku Island, Sasebo-shi City, Nagasaki Prefecture.
(Photo: An image for Sakuto Mega Solar Power Station. Source: Pacifico Energy)